Process for treating waste feedstock and gasifier for same

ABSTRACT

A process for treating a waste feedstock using a gasifier and the gasifier for same. Hot exhaust from an engine travels through a series of hollow heating plates stacked vertically within a gasifier reactor with spaces between each set of successive heating plates forming reaction zones. Each reaction zone is divided into an upper treatment area and a lower treatment area by a rotating disk. Waste material travels from an outer feed spot along the top surface of the rotating disk radially inwardly to a drop area located at the radially innermost portion where it drops to the top surface of the hollow heating plate below. The waste material is then conveyed radially outward to a chute to the next reaction zone or once fully processed to an exit from the reactor. Vapors from the waste material are drawn off each reaction zone through an outlet for further processing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for processing waste feedstockand a gasifier for use in the process. More particularly the presentinvention pertains to the field of gasification and a gasifier for usein treating carbonaceous waste, such as drill cutting waste produced inthe oil and gas industry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the oil and gas industry continues to search for and access newsources of fossil fuels, it produces an enormous amount of waste productrequiring treatment. For example, in the process for drilling for oil,drill cuttings tainted with hydrocarbons are forced to the surface.

Currently most drill cutting waste is landfilled. This disposal methodrelies on the disposal of hydrocarbons in the waste material using thesoils natural microbes to breakdown the oils over a period of time. Theprocess does carry some risk as there is a possibility that some of theoils and other organic compounds can leach into the water system causingenvironmental and economic damage. In addition, higher molecular weightcompounds breakdown at a much slower rate than some of the materials andtend to contaminate the sites over longer periods of time.

Accordingly, a number of technologies have been developed for dealingwith drill cuttings or other carbonaceous feedstock such as waste fromthe oil sands. These include the following:

-   -   Grinding: There are some technologies that use grinding or other        similar methods to convert mechanical energy to heat in order to        drive off the volatiles so the remaining waste material can be        landfilled. These are generally quite expensive and tend to use        a lot of energy. An example of such a grinding system is taught        in International Publication No. WO 2006/003400 (Garrick).        Garrick teaches a reactor vessel for treating contaminated waste        products, such as drill cuttings. Waste material input into the        reactor is heated so as to change the phase of the contaminant        so it can be removed and the treated material discharged. Heat        is generated in the reactor vessel by friction between spinning        flails and a grinding material (dry powder) introduced into the        reactor. Alternatively, additional external heating can be        provided by a heating jacket.    -   Land farming: By adding a number of chemicals to the landfill        process, the environmental impact of some of the compounds that        tend to build up in the soils and water table can be reduced. A        method of turning the material is used to expose more surface        area to air to accelerate the evaporation process. However        releasing hydrocarbons to the air can create additional        environmental issues. Furthermore, over time, some of the        compounds will build up on the soils and water table with        consequent environmental impact.    -   Thermal Desorption Systems (TDU)—High Temp/Low Temp: Most TDU        plants tend to be large and centralized. In the case of high        temp TDU systems, high volumes of air and an outside energy        source are employed to reach temperatures adequate to vaporize        the hydrocarbons. The energy from this process is sometimes used        for other applications such as drying, etc. High temp TDU        systems often reach temperatures well above coking/molecular        change levels and are not typically able to recover hydrocarbons        in a useful form. Low temperature TDU systems employ a much more        controlled process using low temperature levels, around 500 F,        and are able to effectively remove up to 70% of the hydrocarbons        present in the cuttings. These systems are also able to recover        the liquid hydrocarbons in a form that can be beneficially        reused. Outside energy sources are required at a cost and        therefore the plants tend to be large centralized facilities due        to energy economics and the size and configuration of equipment        available.    -   Gasification: Gasification is the production of a combustible        gas from a carbonaceous feedstock. International Publication No.        WO2011/142829 (Swetnam) teaches a gasifier system for        decomposing organic matter such as waster rubber tires, coal,        oil shale, tar sands, etc. Swetnam teaches a reaction vessel        within a thermally insulated enclosure, the bottom surface of        the reaction vessel being heated by burners so as to decompose        waste materials within the reaction vessel. A rotating paddle is        used to agitate the waste material within the reaction vessel.        Exhaust gases from the waste material exit through an exit port        where they can be recovered and reused. Burners are inefficient,        running at approximately 3500 to 4000 F and creating hot spots        and localized elevated temperatures in the processed material        causing coking and cracking.

Accordingly, there is a need for a more efficient gasifier for treatingwaste material.

Objects of the invention will be apparent from the description thatfollows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of a method for processing waste feedstock and agasifier for use in the process. The gasifier comprises a plurality ofhollow heating plates in spaced separation from one another stackedvertically, with the space between successive heating plates formingreaction zones. The reaction zones are divided into two treatment areasby a rotating disk. The rotating disk acts to convey material in a firsttreatment zone from an outer feed spot towards an inner transfer pointwhere the material falls to a second treatment zone within which therotating disk acts to convey material from the inner transfer pointtowards an outer chute where it will fall to the next outer feed spot ofthe reaction zone below or to be conveyed elsewhere (after being fullytreated).

Heat energy is provided by the exhaust from an engine or turbine, whichexhaust is further heated by an electric booster to a desired inputtemperature before circulating through the hollow heating plates,starting at the bottom and moving upwards. Vapors from the wastematerial are drawn off through outlet ports in the reaction zones andtaken elsewhere for processing.

In an embodiment of the invention, the invention comprises a method forprocessing waste feedstock comprising introducing the waste feedstockinto a gasifier having a top, bottom and sides forming a sealedenclosure. Passing hot exhaust through a plurality of sealed hollowheating plates stacked vertically within the gasifier, each heatingplate having a top surface and a bottom surface and an outer wall, withspaces between each set of successive heating plates forming reactionzones. Conveying the waste feedstock through the reaction zones,starting from the top of the gasifier and exiting from an exit in thebottom of the gasifier. Wherein each reaction zone between a pair ofheating plates comprising an upper treatment area and a lower treatmentarea, and the waste feedstock being conveyed through the upper and lowertreatment areas to a next reaction zone or to the exit, and whereinvapors from the waste feedstock are drawn off through an outlet forfurther processing.

In another aspect of the invention, the waste feedstock enters through asealed inlet in the top of the gasifier. The exit is a sealed exit. Thewaste feedstock is introduced into the gasifier and exits under oxygenfree conditions and the reactions zones operate under oxygen feeconditions.

In another aspect of the invention, the vapors are drawn off from eachreaction zone, each reaction zone having a respective outlet.

In another aspect of the invention, the plurality of hollow heatingplates are in fluid communication with one another.

In another aspect of the invention, the exhaust first enters a lowermostone of the plurality of hollow heating plates and moves progressivelyupwards through successive hollow heating plates in the gasifier untilexiting through an uppermost one of the plurality of hollow heatingplates.

In another aspect of the invention, the upper treatment area isseparated from the lower treatment area by a rotatable disk. The wastefeedstock is conveyed radially inwardly in the upper treatment area andradially outwardly in the lower treatment area.

In another aspect of the invention, when in the upper treatment area,the waste material travels from an outer feed spot along a top surfaceof the rotating disk radially inwardly to a drop area located at aradially innermost portion of the disk where it enters the lowertreatment area when it drops through the drop area to the top surface ofthe hollow heating plate below and is conveyed radially outwardly alongthe top surface of the hollow heating plate.

In another aspect of the invention, the distance between the top surfaceof the rotating disk and the bottom surface of the hollow heating plateabove it being smaller than the distance between a bottom surface of thedisk and the top surface of the hollow heating plate below it.

Other aspects of the invention include the following:

-   -   the hot exhaust is from an engine or turbine.    -   the vapors are processed and input as a fuel into the engine or        turbine.    -   the engine or turbine generates electricity, the electricity        powering an electric booster which heats the hot exhaust to a        desired temperature prior to entering the gasifier.    -   temperature and level sensors are mounted within each reaction        zone.    -   a control system monitors the temperature and level sensors and        controls the input temperature of the exhaust and the residence        time of the waste material.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises a gasifier for processinga waste feedstock comprising a top, a bottom, and an outer sidewallforming a sealed enclosure; a plurality of vertically stacked hollowheating plates, the hollow heating plates being in spaced separationfrom one another, the space between adjacent heating plates forming areaction zone; and each reaction zone between a pair of heating platesbeing divided into dual treatment zones for treating the wastefeedstock.

In another aspect, the gasifier further comprising a plurality ofsections, each section having an outer wall and one of the plurality ofhollow heating plates fixedly connected thereto, the outer walls ofadjacent sections being connected together to form the outer sidewall ofthe gasifier.

Other aspects of embodiments of the gasifier include the following:

-   -   the hollow heating plates being in fluid communication with one        another.    -   the dual treatment zones comprise an upper treatment zone and a        lower treatment zone.    -   the upper and lower treatment zones being separated from one        another by a rotatable disk.    -   the rotatable disk having a plurality of protruding scraper        elements affixed to a top of the disk, the scraper elements        adapted to force waste material radially inwardly from an outer        circumference of the disk.    -   each heating plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, a        plurality of directing elements being fixedly connected to the        bottom surface and extending downwards towards the top of the        disk and being adapted to direct the waste material radially        inwardly when the disk is rotated.    -   a plurality of paddles or vanes being affixed to a bottom of the        disk and extending downward to the top surface of the heating        plate below, the paddles or vanes being adapted to direct waste        material radially outwardly when the disk is rotated.    -   the heating plates having a top surface, a bottom surface and an        outer perimeter sidewall sealingly connected thereto and        defining an interior.    -   the heating plates having an inlet and an outlet and a defined        channel travelling through the interior from the inlet to the        outlet.    -   the defined channel being formed by a plurality of gas conduit        plates extending from the top surface to the bottom surface and        being welded to one of the top and bottom surfaces.    -   heated gas entering a first of the heating plates through the        inlet, travelling through the defined channel to the outlet and        travelling to a next successive heating plate.    -   the defined channel directs a hot exhaust gas introduced to the        heating plate about the outer circumference of the interior        radially inwardly.    -   the number of stacked plurality of sections may be altered        depending on the material to be processed.    -   the heated gas being exhaust from an engine or turbine.    -   the engine or turbine generating electricity, the electricity        powering an electric booster which heats the exhaust to a        desired temperature prior to entering the first heating plate of        the gasifier.    -   the outer walls of adjacent sections are connected together with        a sealing element therebetween.    -   the sealing element comprises a high temperature gasket and        sealant.    -   the outer walls further comprising a top flange and a bottom        flange, the abutting flanges of adjacent sections being fixedly        connected together, the connected flanges forming a contact        area, the high temperature gasket and sealant filling the        contact area between the abutting flanges.

In yet another embodiment, the invention comprises a process fortreating a waste feedstock using a gasifier comprising: introducing aheat source into a gasifier to provide indirect heat to a wastefeedstock; forcing the heat source through a series of sealed hollowheating plates stacked vertically within the gasifier with spacesbetween each set of successive heating plates forming reaction zones,each reaction zone having dual treatment areas; introducing a wastefeedstock into the gasifier through a sealed inlet in a top of thegasifier; the waste feedstock being conveyed downward through the dualtreatment areas of successive reaction zones to a sealed exit located ata bottom of the gasifier; and vapors from the waste feedstock exitingthe gasifier through an outlet.

Other aspects of embodiments of the invention process include thefollowing:

-   -   the heat source being hot exhaust from an engine or a turbine or        other waste heat source, or produced vapors from the gasifier        that are subjected to mechanical vapour recompression, all of        which may be further heated using an electric element trim        feature to control the temperature of the heat source.    -   the vapors from the waste feedstock being drawn off each        reaction zone.    -   a rotating disk in each reaction zone forming the dual treatment        areas.    -   the dual treatment areas comprising an upper treatment area        above the disk and a lower treatment area below the disk.    -   the upper treatment area being shallower than the lower        treatment area.    -   when in the upper treatment area, the waste material travels        from an outer feed spot along the top surface of the rotating        disk radially inwardly to a drop area located at the radially        innermost portion where it drops to the top surface of the        hollow heating plate below thereby entering the lower treatment        area.    -   when in the lower treatment area, the waste material being        conveyed radially outwardly to a chute to the next reaction zone        or once fully processed to the exit.    -   the heat source enters the lowermost of the heating plates and        travels upwards through successive heating plates thereby        travelling counterflow to the direction of travel of the waste        material.    -   the heat source traveling through the heating plate from an        outer circumference radially inwardly, counterflow to the        direction of travel of the waste material on the top surface of        the heating plate.    -   further comprising a second gasifier, the heat source exiting        the heating plates of the gasifier and being directed to the        second gasifier.    -   prior to entering the second gasifier, the heat source being        heated to a desired temperature.    -   the heat source being heated by an electric booster.    -   the waste material introduced into the gasifier being delivered        from an exit from the second gasifier.    -   further comprising a storage container for storing the waste        feedstock, the storage container having a double wall through        which the heat source is directed upon exiting the second        gasifier.    -   further comprising a feed system for delivering the waste        feedstock from the storage container to the second gasifier        under oxygen free conditions.

The foregoing was intended as a broad summary only and of only some ofthe aspects of the invention. It was not intended to define the limitsor requirements of the invention. Other aspects of the invention will beappreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferredembodiment and to the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent fromthe following description in which reference is made to the appendeddrawings and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of a gasifier system for treating wastefeedstock according to the present invention.

FIG. 1a is an enlarged version of the left half of the process flowdiagram shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1b is an enlarged version of the right half of the process flowdiagram shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2a is a top view of a mobile gasifier system according to thepresent invention taken with the roof of the mobile structure removed toshow the components located within the interior.

FIG. 2b is a side view of the mobile gasifier system shown in FIG. 2awith the sidewall removed to show the components located within theinterior.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the mobile gasifier system shown in FIG. 2bshown mounted on a flat bed trailer for transport to a given location.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an in-feed portion of the mobile gasifiersystem shown in FIG. 2b (the far right quarter of FIG. 2b ).

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a first gasifier reactor of the mobilegasifier system shown in FIG. 2b (the reactor on the right in FIG. 2b ).

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a second gasifier reactor of the mobilegasifier system shown in FIG. 2b (the reactor on the left in FIG. 2b ).

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a hydrocarbon purification unit and powersource for the mobile gasifier system shown in FIG. 2b (the far leftquarter of FIG. 2b ).

FIG. 8 is a side view of a gasifier reactor showing the interiorcomponents in section.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the bottom plate of a hollow heating plate of agasifier reactor showing a possible arrangement for the interior wallsand channels.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a hollow heating plate of a gasifier reactorshowing the top plate of the hollow heating plate positioned within thereactor.

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view of a hollow heating plate of a gasifieraccording to the invention.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of a hollow heating plate of a gasifier reactorshowing an arrangement of paddles on the underside.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a rotating disk for use in the reaction zonebetween two hollow heating plates of a gasifier according to theinvention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the rotating disk of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the rotating disk of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a hollow heating plate with a rotatingdisk mounted thereon.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a hollow heating plate with a rotatingdisk mounted thereon similar to FIG. 16, but showing an alternativeouter ejection blade configuration on the rotating disk

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing two ways of mounting the rotatingdisk in relation to the heating plate, with one embodiment shown on theleft and the other embodiment on the right.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiment of a gasifier system 100 for use in treating awaste material feedstock is shown in FIG. 1. The system may be used toprocess any organic based substance that would experience a phase change(solid to vapor) when heated up to 1400 F. More specifically, the systemmay be used to process hydrocarbons, animal byproducts, garbage, cropwaste, various fuel crops, bitumen, bitumen tailings, tank bottoms, etc.

In the gasification process the waste materials 3 being treated areexposed to suitable and finely controlled levels of temperature andretention time to effectively achieve vaporization of all organics(hydrocarbons or other) while staying below temperatures at which cokingor molecular changes occur in the volatiles being removed. For thepurposes of the description below, waste material 3 will be drillcuttings or tank bottoms and the temperatures discussed will relate tothe treatment of same. The hydrocarbon vapors, having been separatedfrom all other non-organic materials (barite, rock, sand etc) formingthe drill cuttings, are then recovered and reused either by beingdirected straight into the inlet of an engine 62, for example aninternal combustion (IC) or turbine engine for power production, or bybeing condensed for use as liquid fuel in engine 62, or as a liquid tobe used in the drilling industry. The processed non-organic wastematerial can then undergo further processing as necessary; for example,barite removal as discussed below.

As shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b , and 4, a storage container or in-feed hopper2 is used to store waste material 3 to be processed. The waste materialmay be placed into the in-feed hopper using various kinds of pumps ormobile machines, such as a loader, or other known systems. A conveyingsystem such as a pair of augers 5 acts to mix and convey the wastematerial 3 towards a feed screw 6. Other systems such as a single augeror a drag floor or the like could also be used. Alternatively, the wastematerial 3 could be conveyed or pumped from a secondary containment unitor directly from the source of the waste material for processing.Preferably, the storage container 2 has a double wall between whichexhaust gases exiting from the final gasifier reaction zone are forcedby fan 4. The exhaust gases travel from bottom to top thereby passingalong any residual heat energy to the storage container and the wastematerials therein, raising their temperature prior to processing andusing available heat energy to maximum efficiency.

Waste material 3 exits the bottom of storage container 2 through feedscrew 6 into high pressure extrusion equipment 8 (or other means totransfer the waste material to the gasifier as known in the art; such asa drag conveyor, augers etc), which forces the waste material throughconduit 10 to inlet 12 and into a first gasification chamber 68. Anexample of suitable high pressure extrusion equipment is thatcommercially available from companies such as SEEPEX GMBH or acommercially available cement pump or an extrusion press (which would beused in the case of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) pellets). The keyrequirement of the conveyance system is to provide fine volume and flowcontrol while delivering the waste materials to the inlet 12 of thereactor under oxygen free conditions. Preferably, the conveyance systemis also backed by a N2 blanketing system 13 (shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b and6) as known in the art.

An example of a gasifier reactor 14 according to the invention is shownin FIG. 8, with further aspects being illustrated in FIGS. 9-18. Thegasification chamber 14 is a uniquely designed system that passes theorganic waste materials 3 (drilling cuttings, etc) through a series ofheated reaction zones 15 separated by hollow heating plates 16. Thereaction zones are preferably in the form of dual treatment zones—uppertreatment zone 18 and lower treatment zone 20—as discussed in moredetail below. The gasifier 14 is preferably substantially cylindrical,having a top insulated layer 22, a bottom insulated layer 24 and a‘stack’ of sections that may be bolted 32 or otherwise connectedtogether to form a sealed enclosure. Each stack has a substantiallycylindrical outer wall 26 that has an outwardly extending portion 27defining the outerwall 29 of a material transfer channel within thegasifier. Each section of outer wall 26 has a top flange 45 and bottomflange 47 welded thereto, as best seen in FIGS. 16 and 17. The topflange 45 extends radially inward from outer wall a distance so as todefine a circular opening within which a rotating disk 52 (describedbelow) is fitted. In the area of the outwardly extending portion 27, thebottom flange has an inwardly extending portion forming a platform 49.Platform 49 corresponds in size and shape to the corresponding portionof the top flange (i.e. its inner edge has an arc corresponding to thecircle defined by the top flange). Sections are sealed via the use of ahigh temperature gasket and sealant being inserted around the totalcircumference and for the full width of the contact area 33 between thetop 45 and bottom 48 flanges. Once all the various components areconnected, an insulation layer (not shown) is added to the outside ofwall 26 as known in the art.

The number of sections can be altered as needed for a given project anddepending on the materials to be processed and the temperatures requiredfor processing. For example, FIG. 8 shows a gasifier 14 having threeheating plates and two reaction zones, whereas FIG. 2b shows gasifierreactors 68, 70 each having five heating plates and four reaction zones.Indirect heat is provided by heated exhaust gas entering through inlet34 and travelling through the hollow heating plates 16, starting at theplate 16 located at the bottom of the gasifier and travelling upwards toeach successive plate 16 until exiting at the top through exhaust gasoutlet 36. Accordingly, the bottom of the gasifier is the hottest, withthe temperature dropping for each successive reaction zone up to thetop, which is the coolest.

As shown in FIGS. 9-11, each hollow heating plate (also referred to as aflue gas conduit plate) 16 is preferably formed of a substantiallycylindrical bottom plate 38, a cylindrical top plate 40, an inner sidewall 41 and an outer side wall 42 that are all welded together to form asealed unit to ensure there is no mixing of the hot flue (exhaust) gaswith the vapors coming off the heated process (waste) materials. Thehollow heating plate 16 is seal welded in place within its section ofcylindrical outer wall 26. The heating plate 16 is pressure tested toensure it is properly sealed. Inner side wall 41 defines a cylindricalchannel through which the drive shaft for the unit extends as discussedbelow. The bottom plate 38 has a recessed arcuate portion 39, with outerside wall 42 having a corresponding portion 43 such that in this area ofheating plate 16, outer side wall 42 extends at an angle from the outercircumference of top plate 40 to the recessed arcuate portion 39 ofbottom plate 38 so as to define the inner wall 25 of material transferchannel 31, with platform 49 forming the base. For those heating plates16 that will have a reaction zone 15 located below, bottom surface 38has a plurality of angled blades 56 connected thereto, preferably steelplates welded to bottom surface 38, or other suitable high wear materialthat is resistant to abrasion.

Within each hollow heating plate is a plurality of spiral-shaped gasconduit plates 44, welded either to bottom surface 38 or top surface 40,defining a channel or circuitous path through which the exhaust gasesmust travel from inlet 46 to outlet 48. While only being welded to oneof the surfaces, the conduit plates are preferably sized to extend fullybetween the top and bottom surfaces such that they are in contact withthe surface opposite the one they are welded to so as to define thechannel through which the exhaust gas must travel. As shown in FIG. 9,the circuitous path, the direction of travel of the hot gas being shownby arrow 50, preferably travels a circular route about the outercircumference of the plate 16, with each successive circular pathreversing direction and moving radially inward towards the innermostportion (inner side wall 41) of plate 16 before exiting through outlet48 and travelling to the next heating plate or elsewhere in the system.Heat energy from the exhaust gas acts to heat the top plate 40 andbottom plate 38 of the heating plate 16, which in turn transfer heatenergy to the reaction zones above the top surface 40 and below thebottom surface 38, respectively. This path from the outer circumferenceradially inward is preferred, as it provides the greatest temperaturedelta between the material being reacted in the reaction zones and thehot gasses circulating through the heated plates 16. It is alsocontemplated that other pathways could be used; for example, a circularpathway working its way from inside to outside with each reversal ofdirection or other suitable path. For the present embodiment, thechannels are preferably approximately 20 cm wide and 23 cm high (8inches by 9 inches). To build larger ‘stacks’, the channel would beincreased in depth in order to allow more mass flow and energy transferfrom top to bottom while minimizing the pressure drop through thechannels. The thickness of the metal is also of some importance, asexpansion concerns must be addressed; for example, ½ inch plate toexpand lineally the same as ¼ inch plate. Therefore as a system is beingdesigned, thermal FEA testing is performed to make sure that the sectionwelds will stand up over time as the various expansion factors areconsidered.

The reaction zones 15 are preferably divided into an upper treatmentzone 18 and a lower treatment zone 20, the treatment zones 18, 20 beingseparated by a rotating treatment disk 52 that is seated in the spacebetween a pair of successive flue gas conduit plates 16 within thecircle defined by top flange 45 (preferably with a gap of no more thanapproximately 3 mm between the outer edge of the disk and the inner edgeof the flange). Alternatively, the rotating disk 52 could be sized tohave a diameter slightly larger than the circle defined by the inwardlyextending portion of top flange 45 such that it can be seated on topwith a gap 87 as shown in the embodiment on the left in FIG. 18.Preferably the rotating disk extends about 3-6 mm over the flange and isabout 3 mm from the outer wall 26, with the gap being a separation ofless than 3 mm, thereby effectively forming a seal and preventingmaterial from falling through. A further version is shown on the rightside of FIG. 18, with no inwardly extending portion of top flange 45 (orbottom flange 47), except in the area of outwardly extending portion 27,where a portion of the top flange must extend inwardly in order to forma circle (see the embodiment shown in FIG. 11). For this embodiment, therotating disk has a diameter slightly smaller than that of outer wall 26so that the gap 88 shown in FIG. 18 is no more than 3 mm.

As shown in the figures, the upper treatment zone is preferablyshallower than the lower treatment zone (ie. the height between the disk52 and the bottom 38 of the heating plate 16 above it is smaller thanthe height of the disk 52 above the top 40 of the heating plate 16 belowit). Limiting the distance between the disk 52 and the heating plate 16above it results in the waste material traveling along the disk being incloser proximity to the bottom 38 of the heating plate and the heat itis radiating.

An exhaust port 60 is located in each upper treatment zone 18. Volatizedgasses are drawn out through the exhaust port 60 from each of the uppertreatment zones 18 for further processing. The reaction zones 15 arepreferably equipped with temperature and vacuum sensors, which aremonitored by a Programmable Logic Controller (“PLC”) as discussed inmore detail below.

Disk 52 is rotatable about a central axis by a drive shaft 30 driven bya motor 28. Preferably the motor is located at the top of the reactor,with the drive shaft seated on a large thrust bearing 35 at the bottom;however, it is understood that this arrangement could be reversed asnecessary to accommodate different gasifier stack configurations andsizes. The drive shaft could also be equipped with a motor at each end.Preferably, the drive shaft is made up of a plurality of nesting shafts55 (see FIGS. 8 and 14), with a nesting shaft 55 connected to each disk52 and seatable on the shaft of a section below. This stack approacheffectively transfers all weight of the rotating disks to a large bottomthrust bearing and allows for the precision placement of the rotatingdisk within the circle defined by the top flange 45 of a given section.This design also ensures support of each rotating disk thereby ensuringthat the rotating vanes ride very close to the floor but avoid contact.

As shown in FIGS. 13-14, the top of the disk 52 has a plurality ofprotruding scraper elements 54 affixed thereto, preferably by welding.The scraper elements project inwards from the outer circumference of thedisk and are set on an angle so as to act to force material away fromthe outer edge of the disk and into contact with a plurality ofdirecting elements such as angled blades 56 welded to the bottom of thebottom surface 38 of the next conduit plate (located above it) which inturn act to agitate and direct material rotating about on the rotatingdisk 52 towards a plurality of transfer holes 58 located at the innercircumference of the disk. Upon reaching the transfer holes 58, thewaste materials falls through landing on the top surface of the topplate 40 of the heating plate 16 located below. The angles of thescraper elements 54 and angled blades 56 may vary based on the physicalcharacteristics of materials being processed. The angles may range from10 to 45 degrees depending on the material. For example, drill cuttingsare dense and therefore the angle of the scraper elements 54 and blades56 must be quite shallow, such as a 10-20 degree angle so as to avoid‘plowing’ the material. In the case of a material such as pelletizedMSW, the material is light and therefore the angle can be more acutewith the scraper elements or vanes spaced further apart. Any substancethat is more fluid such as an application where the system is primarilydealing with a liquid throughout the process can make use of the moreextreme 45 degree angle; for example when dealing with a Brineconcentration where the substance does not turn to a solid phase untilthe bottom section.

The bottom of the disk 52 has a plurality of rotating paddles or vanes59 affixed thereto for agitating and directing the material to beprocessed in a desired direction along the top plate 40, in this caseradially outward towards material transfer channel 31 where it dropsdown to the upper treatment zone of the next reaction zone or to thewaste removal system. The paddles 59 extend downwards and are sized sothat their bottom most edge is adjacent to the top plate of the flue gasconduit plate below, preferably within a few millimeters. The paddles 59are designed to transport the material at an appropriate rate so as toprovide the maximum amount of residence time in contact with the top 40of the hollow heating plate 16 but moving fast enough to all the overflow required at max design capacity. The angle of the paddles is setdepending on the type of material to be processed (similarconsiderations as set out above in relation to blades 56). Preferably, aseries of outermost ejection paddles 61 are also at a slight angle tothe vertical as well as being angled to the tangent of the disk.Ejection paddles 61 are preferably sized so as to correspond to theheight of the retention barrier 63 (as best viewed in FIG. 16). Thefunction of the outermost paddles 61 is to ‘scoop’ the material from theouter circumference of the top plate 40 and over the retention barrier63 and down to the next level below. By placing the ejection paddle 61at the height of the retention barrier 63, only that material above thelevel set by the barrier 63 is sent to the level below. Alternatively,as shown in FIG. 17, an alternative ejection blade 86 extends down tothe level of the top surface 40 of the heating plate 16 and has atrailing edge angled outward to be in contact with the outercircumference of outer wall 26. Ejection blade 86 acts to eject materialright from the base plate ensuring that there is no material left stuckalong the bottom most edge. It is also contemplated that other ejectionpaddle/blade configurations would be suitable for ejecting material tothe level below.

As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 15, the blades 56 and paddles 59 are shownarranged in a series of 4 radially extending columns, with the radialpositions of the individual blades 56 and paddles 59 being staggeredwith each successive column. It is contemplated that for both the blades56 and paddles 59, different patterns and arrangements could be usedprovided the conveying means acts to move the waste material in thedesired direction.

This system of having dual treatment zones results in doubling of theretention time as waste material 3 is first directed inwards along therotating disk 52 where it is heated by a combination of conduction (thedirecting elements 56 being heated by conduction through theirconnection to the bottom surface 38 of the conduit plate 16) andconvection (the bottom surface of the conduit plate), before droppingthrough the transfer holes 58 where it is heated once again throughconvection and conduction (this time in direct contact with the topsurface heated conduit plate) and forced outwards where it is directedto outflow (material transfer) channel 31 (either to drop through to thelevel below or to be transferred away after processing). Retention timecan be controlled by altering the speed of rotation of disk 52.

Waste materials 3 enter gasification chamber 14 through inlet 12 locatedat the top of the gasifier and are moved downward through the variouslevels to the bottom by way of the conveying system (the variousrotating disks 52 discussed above). The conveying system causes thematerial to systematically travel across the dual reaction zones in acounterflow movement—moving across the top of each disk 52 to the centerand then, after dropping down to surface of the heating plate 16 below,moving from the centre to the outside edge and then exiting to the nextlayer moving progressively downward in this counterflow pattern in thereaction chamber until reaching the bottom at which point it can eitherbe transferred to an additional gasifier for further processing orremoved.

Preferably, those plates in the upper portion of the gasifier chamberwill be made of carbon steel as this portion will run in the lowertemperatures. The plates in the lower portion of the gasifier aresubjected to higher temperatures, so are preferably made of stainlesssteel. The number of plates used in a ‘system’ can be increased ordecreased as required to bring a desired amount of material through-putto a target temperature for the various levels of the gasifier; forexample, for drill cuttings the target temperatures for the variousreaction zones of the gasifier would range from top to bottom from about100 to 760 C (200 F-1400 F). Heated exhaust gas enters at inlet 34 atthe bottom of the gasifier as shown in FIG. 8, so this is the hottestpart of the process. As the exhaust gasses travel through successiveheating plates 16 progressively moving up through the gasifier, itcontinues to transfer heat energy and as this energy is transferred thehot gasses become cooler, the result being that the greatest temperaturedelta possible is maintained between the material temperatures and thehot gasses resulting in the material becoming hotter as it movesdownward and the gasses becoming cooler as they move upward—counterflow.In this fashion, materials working their way from the top of thegasifier to the bottom lose their volatile hydrocarbons with the shorterchains coming off at the higher (cooler) levels and the longerhydrocarbon chains coming off at the lower levels where the temperaturesare higher. For example, in the case of C60, the vaporization temp is615 C, so it would remain with the material being processed until thelower level of the gasifier.

The present gasifier system increases the temperatures gradually therebyreleasing the carbon chains at the correct temperatures. IE: shorterchains come off higher up in the chamber, and longer chains come in thelower sections where the temps are higher. With the preferredtemperature range, all of the hydrocarbons are volatized withoutcracking or coking. The vapors are continuously vacuumed from eachreaction chamber through gas exhaust ports 60 and are then collected andcondensed back into liquids or, alternatively, left as hot gasses (inthe case of other feed-stocks such as manure or pelletized MSW) and aresent directly to an energy conversion system—IE.: engine 62. Preferably,each section of the gasifier has its own gas exhaust port 60 throughwhich the vaporized hydrocarbons are withdrawn for furtherprocessing/use.

The gasification reaction is endothermic and requires large amounts ofheat energy to be supplied into the process in order to volatize thefeed-stock. The required heat energy for the process is supplied bywaste heat coming from the integrated energy conversion system 62—whichin the embodiment shown is specifically an IC Engine driving an electricgenerator. The IC engine produces significant exhaust flows attemperatures between 490 and 650° C. and ranging from 40 or 50% orhigher of the total energy input (from diesel or gasoline or NG)—energythat would typically be wasted to the atmosphere under normal powergeneration applications. Instead, in the present design, as shown inFIGS. 2a, 2b and 7, the exhaust flow 64 is directed into an electrictemperature booster 66 which brings the exhaust gases to the desiredinput temperature before the exhaust flow enters the gasifier andtravels through the hollow heating plates 16 as discussed above, therebytransferring the heat energy needed for the gasification reaction. Asthis hot engine exhaust 64 moves upward in the chamber, it cools due tothe transfer of its heat energy to the plates 16 and then indirectly tothe material being processed. Moving upward the exhaust gasseseventually exit the unit at the top section having cooled to anapproximate temperature in the 93-121 C (200-250 F) range. The exhaustgases can then be directed to the in-feed hopper as discussed above.

Alternatively, in a smaller reactor, such as reactor 68 shown in FIGS.2a and 2b , the exhaust gasses come off reactor 68 at highertemperatures (say 204-315 C or 4-600 F) and goes through an additionalelectric booster 69 and then into the second reactor 70 for additionaloil removal and/or for water removal at the top of this second reactor70 stack. This could be repeated in multiple stacks to increaseproduction, say for example on a stationary site. This flue gas exit andtemperature ‘reboost’ is required to maintain the higher temperaturedeltas needed for vaporization of the organics in each subsequent stack.It is a key part of the present system that it can remove waterseparately from the oils by utilizing one or more sections located inthe front end of the process—as ‘Water removal’ sections. These sectionsare run hot enough to vaporize water but cool enough to not release anyhydrocarbons—IE: below 148 C (300 F). This also allows flue gas tofinally exit at very low temps—65-121 C (150-250 F) using up a very highpercentage of the energy in the stream, and increased efficiency. Theexhaust gasses exiting from the final reaction chamber 70 preferablytravel through a conduit to the infeed storage container 2 where theheat energy is utilized to pre-heat the incoming solids before beingfinally exhausted to the atmosphere.

With the illustrated two reactor system, the waste material first entersgasifier 70, with water being removed in the upper sections of thereactor and drawn off through the exhaust ports 60. Once in the lowersections (after all water removed), hydrocarbons begin to volatize andare drawn off. Preferably, each upper treatment zone of the reactionzones of gasifier 70 are equipped with two ports. While not shown,preferably the gasifier reactors are fabricated with dual ports for eachsection; however the sections will only be plumbed to allow flows in twodirections (ie. through the two ports) if the application warrants thesplit (in other words for use when their could be either water vapor ororganic volatiles that will need to be dealt with: one port 60 (see FIG.6) connecting to the hydrocarbon recovery side (or vapors straight intothe engine) and a second port 71 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) connecting to thewater recovery side. Depending on the temperature profile of eachreaction zone 15 one of the two ports would be opened allowing gassestherein to flow to the proper side. IE: 148 C (300 F) and below =waterside; 148 C and above=hydrocarbon or gas side.

At the bottom of the second reactor 70, the waste material exits thereactor and is forced through an extrusion pump 72 or other means tomain reactor 68 where the remaining hydrocarbons are volatized and drawnoff through the hydrocarbon exhaust ports 60 of each reaction zone forfurther processing. The processed waste material is then furtherprocessed as discussed below.

Sensors (temperature, vacuum, etc.) located throughout the gasifier areall connected to the system PLC which monitors various inputs from thevarious sensors and based on its program, the PLC sends outputs tocontrol all aspects of the process—amount of material being pumped in;speed and direction of the rotating disks; speed of fans to maintaincertain parameters such as flow, pressure and temperature. For example:the amount of material coming into the unit is throttled by controllingthe speed of the pump. The outlet temperature is the determining inputto the PLC: if the temperature of the final processed waste materialcoming out drops below a certain level, the rotating disks 52 will slowdown or stop or reverse as needed and the pump 8 will slow down or stopas needed. Once the outlet temperature hits the pre-programmed target,the disks 52 will begin rotating slowly and will increase or throttlebased on this outlet temp. On the vapor side, the negative draw orvacuum is monitored by the PLC via a number of vacuum sensors. Thevacuum is supplied (in one case) by the IC engine intake. The systemmaintains the set-point by opening or closing a valve to the IC engineintake thereby increasing or decreasing the vacuum to the reaction zones15 of the gasifier.

The processing of material by way of the gasifier system of the presentinvention will be discussed in more detail below.

Solids Flow:

1. Drilling cuttings 3 are introduced to the top of the gasifier 70 viainlet 12 using high pressure extrusion equipment commercially availablefrom companies such as SEEPEX GMBH (or other system as discussed above).The key function of this part of the process is to provide fine volumeand flow control while delivering the materials to the inlet 12 of thereactor 70 under oxygen free conditions. This process is also backed bya N2 blanketing system 13 as known in the art.2. At the inlet 12, the cuttings 3 drop through material transferchannel 31 onto the top of the rotating disk 52 below where theprotruding scraper elements 54 force the material into contact withdirecting elements 56 which act to force the material towards the centerof disk and the interior transfer holes 58 where it drops through to thetop surface of the flue gas plate below. The rotating paddles 59 of thedisk then force the material along the top surface of the flue gas plateradially outwards towards the outer circumference and the next materialtransfer channel 31. At the required interval, based on needed retentiontimes, the cuttings are allowed to drop through channel 31 onto the nextplate. Retention time can be controlled in two ways—the speed of thedisk rotation and the resulting dump, and the amount of material fedinto the system. By rotating the disk slower the outer paddle will‘dump’ less material simply by completing fewer passes along the dumpport (channel 31). As well, for those systems equipped with an ejectionpaddle 61, each section has a tray function and has a fixed amount ofmaterial retained behind the 2-2.5″ (5-6.35 cm) exit barrier 63 (thedepth of the barrier can be altered to suit certain applications. MSW,for example, may have a deeper layer requiring, say a 3″ (7.62 cm)barrier—forming a level.) If no additional material is added, thisbarrier holds the 2.5″ level in each section/tray indefinitely. Oncemore material is added from the top, each ‘tray’ effectively is slowlyoverfilled and material coming into the middle of the tray causes thelevel to rise in this tray and the paddles then eject the outermostmaterials (which have been retained the longest) over the 2.5″ barrierdown to the section below. Using either method, this ‘hand-off’ iscontinued from section to section until the material reaches the lowestsection of the gasifier and at the desired target temperature—in thecase of drill cuttings, between 700-1400 F. By controlling therotational speed of the conveying system and by adjusting the amount ofmaterial introduced at the top of the gasifier, the retention time isadjusted as needed to achieve this final target temperature.3. Upon reaching the bottom of the gasifier, the cuttings are clean andhydrocarbon free. All organic content has been removed and the drillcuttings exit via a N2 purged dual stage air-lock 74 as known in theart.4. From the airlock the cuttings are received into an dry screw conveyoror an air or water cooled and sealed auger system 76—also with a N2blanket or other removal means such as a wet slurry venturi where slurryis circulated under the airlock and as the material drops into theopening it is mixed, cooled and transported via the fluid. In thisoutlet system the sterilized mineral materials are cooled and additionalwater is reintroduced to limit dust or the material could be sent to adryer and then to a dry density separation table where a density sorttakes place. Alternately the material is removed from the airlock in dryform and is conveyed via a jacketed and air-cooled screw auger to ascreen deck which removes the larger fractions and then onto a drydensity separation table where the materials are separated according todifferences in specific gravity. In the case of drill cuttings, thebarite could be separated off. In the case of MSW, the glass, metals etccould be separated. This mixed material is then sent to the disposal piton site or for further processing as necessary; for example for Bariteremoval and recovery. The barite removal process could involve the useof wet density separation system; wet slurry process where the drymaterial is diluted into a slurry with water, is screened to removelarger particles, sent to a hydrocyclone to remove sand, sent to acentrifugal separator to sort the barite from the other minerals andthen sent to a dryer to remove excess moisture before being sent forreuse.Vapor Flow:1. All hydrocarbons present in the infeed materials 3 are volatized inthe gasification chambers 68, 70. These vapors are drawn off at eachindividual reaction section (reaction zones 15) to prevent thehydrocarbons from re-condensing before entering the individual venturicondensing sections and then into the combined settling and coolingsystem.2. The volatized hydrocarbons are removed from each section under aslight vacuum provided by commercially available venturi condensingequipment or via the use of individual fin/fan condensers with thevacuum supplied by a separate vacuum pump or by the intake section tothe IC engine and then fed to a common and combined settling and coolingsystem. The non condensable gasses are removed and sent, for example viaconduit 77, directly to the engine and electrical generator 62. Undermost operating conditions the condensable volatiles in collecting tower78 will go to the condensing loop 80 and will be cooled and collectedinto a liquid storage tank 82. This liquid can then be used for start-upand operation of the IC engine and generator system or can bere-purposed as needed. This condenser 80 is sized to carry the full flowand capacity of the system.Energy In—Exhaust Gas Flow:1. The exhaust gasses from the generator 62 (that would normally vent toatmosphere) are introduced to the hollow plates 16 in the gasifierthrough an insulated ducting system as shown in the Figures anddiscussed above.2. The gasses pass upward through the successive hollow heating plates16 moving from the bottom of the gasifier to an exit at the top. Ifthere are multiple gasifier stacks, the gasses are then transferred to afurther electrical temperature booster, if necessary, (suppliedcommercially by companies such as Chromalox) and then into a second (ormore) reactors. Upon final exhaust the gasses are used to preheat thematerial being introduced to the plant (in the in-feed hopper asdiscussed above).3. Finally, the cooled exhaust is vented to the atmosphere. Preferably,the vent is the top perimeter of the in-feed hopper which has a doublewall to serve as both a ‘stack’ and a heat exchange surface.

Processing drill cuttings by the present invention has a number ofenvironmental and economic benefits when compared to the alternatives.The system offers a reduced cost of managing cuttings providing an ‘Atthe Rig’ solution. Transportation costs and associated pollution andinfrastructure costs are eliminated by removing the need to transportlarge amounts of material to and from the source site. The process alsoeliminates the long term liability and cost of land filling orland-farming—a significant liability to the oil and gas industry. Theprocess is extremely energy efficient and produces excess energy. Theavailability of excess energy means that less diesel fuel is required onsite at remote drill site locations to generate power with consequentsavings on the unneeded diesel fuel and the reduction of the associatedtrucking costs normally associated with delivery of diesel fuel to site.Also, if used as a drilling lubricant (which is what it was used fororiginally), it allows for the recycle of this liquid which eliminatesup to 75% of new diesel that would have to be refined, hauled, and thenused at the rig. In addition, currently approximately 25-50% of theBarite used for weighting the drill fluid is also sent to landfill. Thepresent invention includes a process that would effectively recycle theBarite as well.

While the present invention has been discussed with reference to drillcuttings, it is also contemplated that the gasifier system could be usedto process other materials, such as any organic carbon/hydrogen basedsubstance that would undergo a phase change (solid to vapor) whenexposed to temperatures up to 1400 F. Other possible waste materials forprocessing by the system of the present invention include hydrocarbons,hydrocarbon wastes, animal waste and byproducts, MSW/commercial garbage,crop waste, various fuel crops, bitumen, bitumen tailings, tank bottoms,etc).

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the preferredand alternative embodiments have been described in some detail but thatcertain modifications may be practiced without departing from theprinciples of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for processing waste feedstockcomprising: introducing said waste feedstock into a gasifier having atop, bottom and sides forming an enclosure; passing hot exhaust througha plurality of sealed-hollow heating plates stacked vertically withinsaid gasifier, each heating plate having a top surface and a bottomsurface and an outer wall, with spaces between each set of successiveheating plates forming reaction zones; conveying said waste feedstockthrough said reaction zones, starting from said top of said gasifier andexiting from an exit in the bottom of said gasifier; wherein eachreaction zone between a pair of heating plates comprising an uppertreatment area and a lower treatment area, and said waste feedstockbeing conveyed through said upper and lower treatment areas to a nextreaction zone or to said exit; wherein vapors from said waste feedstockare drawn off through an outlet for further processing; and wherein saidexhaust first entering a lowermost one of said plurality of hollowheating plates and moving progressively upwards through successivehollow heating plates in said gasifier until exiting through anuppermost one of said plurality of hollow heating plates.
 2. The methodof claim 1 wherein said waste feedstock enters through an inlet in saidtop of said gasifier.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said exit beingan exit.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said waste feedstock beingintroduced into said gasifier has had entrained air removed from saidwaste feedstock.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said waste feedstockexiting said gasifier under oxygen free environment.
 6. The method ofclaim 5 wherein said reaction zones operating under oxygen freeenvironment.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said vapors are drawn offfrom each reaction zone, each reaction zone having a respective outlet.8. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of hollow heating platesbeing in fluid communication with one another to provide for exhaustflow through said plurality of hollow heating plates.
 9. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said upper treatment area being separated from saidlower treatment area by a rotatable disk.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein said waste feedstock is conveyed radially inwardly in said uppertreatment area and radially outwardly in said lower treatment area. 11.The method of claim 10 wherein, in said upper treatment area, said wastematerial travels from an outer feed spot along a top surface of saidrotating disk radially inwardly to a drop area located at a radiallyinnermost portion of said disk where it enters said lower treatment areawhen it drops through said drop area to said top surface of the hollowheating plate below and is conveyed radially outwardly along said topsurface of said hollow heating plate.
 12. The method of claim 11 whereinthe distance between said top surface of said rotating disk and thebottom surface of the hollow heating plate above it being smaller thanthe distance between a bottom surface of said disk and the top surfaceof the hollow heating plate below it.
 13. The method of claim 1 whereinsaid hot exhaust is from an engine or turbine.
 14. The method of claim13 wherein said vapors are processed and input as a fuel into saidengine or turbine.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein said engine orturbine generates electricity, said electricity powering an electricbooster which heats said hot exhaust to a desired temperature prior toentering said gasifier.
 16. The method of claim 1 further comprisingtemperature and depth sensors within each reaction zone.
 17. The methodof claim 16 wherein a control system monitors the temperature and depthsensors and controls the input temperature of the exhaust and theresidence time of the waste material.
 18. A process for treating a wastefeedstock using a gasifier comprising: introducing a heat source into agasifier to provide indirect heat to a waste feedstock; forcing saidheat source through a series of hollow heating plates stacked verticallywithin said gasifier with spaces between each set of successive heatingplates forming reaction zones, each reaction zone having dual treatmentareas; introducing a waste feedstock into said gasifier through an inletin a top of said gasifier; said waste feedstock being conveyed downwardthrough the dual treatment areas of successive reaction zones to an exitlocated at a bottom of said gasifier; vapors from said waste feedstockexiting said gasifier through an outlet; and wherein said heat sourceenters the lowermost of said heating plates and travels upwards throughsuccessive heating plates thereby travelling counterflow to thedirection of travel of said waste material.
 19. The process of claim 18wherein said heat source being hot exhaust from an engine or a turbineor other waste heat source, or produced vapors from the gasifier thatare subjected to mechanical vapour recompression, all of which may befurther heated using an electric element trim feature to control thetemperature of the heat source.
 20. The process of claim 19 wherein saidvapors from said waste feedstock being drawn off each reaction zone. 21.The process of claim 18 further comprising a rotating disk in eachreaction zone forming said dual treatment areas.
 22. The process ofclaim 21 wherein said dual treatment areas comprising an upper treatmentarea above said disk and a lower treatment area below said disk.
 23. Theprocess of claim 22 wherein said upper treatment area being shallower inheight than said lower treatment area.
 24. The process of claim 22,wherein when in said upper treatment area, said waste material travelsfrom an outer feed spot along the top surface of the rotating diskradially inwardly to a drop area located at the radially innermostportion where it drops to the top surface of the hollow heating platebelow thereby entering the lower treatment area.
 25. The process ofclaim 24 wherein when in said lower treatment area, said waste materialbeing conveyed radially outwardly to a chute to the next reaction zoneor once fully processed to said exit.
 26. The process of claim 25wherein said heat source traveling through said heating plate from anouter circumference radially inwardly, counterflow to the direction oftravel of said waste material on the top surface of the heating plate.27. The process of claim 18 further comprising a second gasifier, saidheat source exiting said heating plates of said gasifier and beingdirected to said second gasifier.
 28. The process of claim 27, whereinprior to entering said second gasifier, said heat source being heated toa desired temperature.
 29. The process of claim 28 wherein said heatsource being heated by an electric booster.
 30. The process of claim 27wherein said waste material introduced into said gasifier beingdelivered from an exit from said second gasifier.
 31. The process ofclaim 30 further comprising a storage container for storing said wastefeedstock, said storage container having a double wall through whichsaid heat source is directed upon exiting said second gasifier.
 32. Theprocess of claim 31, further comprising a feed system for deliveringsaid waste feedstock from said storage container to said second gasifierunder oxygen free environment.